China orders building inspection
China’s Interior Ministry has ordered inspection of a million high-rise buildings following the Hong Kong Wang Fuk fire (see above). The inspection ordered by the State Council Work Safety Commission will particularly target construction and renovation building sites to verify whether China’s 2011 regulation requiring scaffolding mesh to be flame retardant and banning wooden and bamboo scaffolding. It will also target construction materials: flammable exterior insultation is banned on high-rise buildings in China since 2021. Smoke alarms, fire hydrants, sprinkler systems and fire doors will also be verified. China has more than one million high-rises, defined as buildings over 27 metres high (around 8 stories).
“China launches campaign to investigate and rectify major fire hazards in high-rise buildings”, Global Times, 29th November 2025 https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202511/1349356.shtml
